We can all agree that Hip Hop has always in part been rooted in empowering the culture through resilience, innovation, and truth-telling—whether through lyrics, fashion, or activism and those other vital pillars. Hip Hop has been in a constant battle to speak said truth, to power … But, there’s one crucial yet under-discussed battle that’s going on, and it’s the ongoing fight for better health in Black and Brown communities and how that health is treated.
That fight has encountered many hurdles. Information is usually at the heart of it all. How the culture distinguishes health care choices between natural based medicinal options and evidence-based medicine/therapeutics seems to be a constant debate, especially in the age of social media where misinformation, and outright lies run rampant.
Like, what happened to trusting some of the things you learned with books and professionally taught scientific methods? When did the gram, TikTok and Youtube rabbit holes take precedence?
From diseases like Type-2 diabetes to the relatively recent COVID-19 pandemic, evidence-based medicine has scientifically proven to be a lifeline, yet skepticism persists in many ways, historically, and rightfully so.
When it comes to this conversation, now and in the recent past, Hip Hop icons like Fat Joe, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and influential rappers turned thought talking heads like Plies, have used their platforms to bridge the gap between their experiences, with healthcare and beliefs with evidence-based medicine. They and others from Hip Hop culture have emphasized that taking care of one’s health—with proven facts and data, matter.
Let’s take a deeper dive …
WHY EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE MATTERS
The way many people see it, in the culture and beyond, medical treatments rooted in rigorous research and data—not trends or anecdotes—by and large deliver real results. When it comes to communities of color—who often face disparities in healthcare access—these principles aren’t just academic; they’re survival tools.
Below are seven principles on how scientific evidence-based medicine impacts lives.
1. Better Health Outcomes – Treatments backed by science are proven to work, reducing complications and improving survival rates.
2. Standardized Care – No matter where you go, doctors follow tested protocols, ensuring consistent, high-quality treatment.
3. Smarter Healthcare Decisions – Doctors rely on data, not guesswork, leading to more accurate diagnoses and effective treatments.
4. Lower Costs – Avoiding unproven remedies means fewer wasted resources and more affordable care.
5. Continuous Improvement – Medicine evolves as new research emerges, meaning treatments get better over time.
6. Less Bias – Decisions are based on facts, not personal opinions, leading to fairer healthcare.
7. Stronger Public Health – Vaccines and preventive care stop outbreaks and save lives on a mass scale.
HOW FAT JOE’S BOUT WITH DIABETES, USE OF OZEMPIC AND RELIANCE ON EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS TURNED HIS HEALTH AROUND
Fat Joe’s dramatic 200-pound weight loss wasn’t just about willpower—it was about smart medical intervention. The Bronx legend revealed that Ozempic, a diabetes medication, with side effects that sometimes include weight loss played a key role in his transformation.
Let’s be real, many celebrities shy away from discussing pharmaceutical help, because of the stigma that comes with so-called big Pharma, but Joe kept it real.
His conversation started off without a lot of context ….
“Ozempic says you may only have two pieces of your favorite stuff,” he told Us Weekly. “We just try to eat everything with the least carbs as possible. So we try to stay away from the bread, the pasta, the rice. That’s the smartest way to eat.”
Then he let the world into his struggles with Type 2 diabetes …
Get this, he later clarified to TMZ that he had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as a teenager, making Ozempic a medically necessary treatment—not just a quick fix. His story highlights how evidence-based medicine can turn dire health situations around, especially for Black and Latino men, who are 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than white men (CDC).
Read that again: Black and Latino men, who are 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than white men (CDC)
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: VACCINES, AND HIP HOP’S DIVIDED RESPONSE
Back when the deadly COVID-19 pandemic hit, communities of color were hit the hardest.
Here are some numbers many of us don’t want to hear or accept, Black Americans died at 1.4 times the rate of white Americans (APM Research Lab).
Yet, vaccine hesitancy ran deep, fueled by historical distrust and misinformation. While many Hip Hop figures stayed silent or spread skepticism, a few stood firm on science.
Wild. COVID was killing black and brown folks but a clinical therapeutic was almost seen as a bigger threat.
Artists to the likes of Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC and Plies, both from two completely different eras were proponents of the vaccine and evidence-based medicine.
DMC’s Public Health Crusade through content
During the vaccine rollout, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC partnered with Hip Hop Public Health to create rap videos explaining vaccine safety:
“Communities of color carry the heaviest burden from the pandemic, and in order to stop the virus in its tracks, we need to increase vaccine literacy, change behavior, and get vaccinated,”McDaniels said. “By harnessing the power of hip-hop, we hope to connect with communities of color in a way they can relate to. I am honored to lend my voice to this vital campaign—get the shot, y’all!”
Plies’ Style Logic to Vaccines
Plies took a different approach, using his signature blunt style to counter anti-vaxxers on the Gram:
“I’m getting vaccinated the first chance I get. How I look @ it, I put things in my body every day I don’t know where it come from. If I done trusted the weed man (who I didn’t know), ate from the food truck outside the club, drunk Hennessy & Red Bull & survived… I should be str8.”
That part.
Plies got a lot of backlash for his stance.
Despite it all, his point was clear: If you trust unregulated substances, why distrust a scientifically tested vaccine?
Yea, we’ll wait …
THE BOTTOM LINE: THE CULTURE SHOULD CONSIDER EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE AS A VIABLE OPTION
From Fat Joe’s diabetes management, and weight loss to DMC and Plies’ previous vaccine advocacy, the message is clear: Evidence-based medicine has the ability saves lives.
We get the distrust in medicine is understandable—given historical abuses like the Tuskegee Experiment—rejecting proven treatments only worsens health disparities. If you are unaware of the Tuskegee experiment, maybe we’ll take that up for a later conversation but we encourage you to look it up.
But what all this comes down to is, Hip Hop has always been about speaking and rapping truth to power, and in many ways survival and preservation.
Maybe people should apply that same energy to healthcare and how they approach it—with facts, data and a few things we all learned in elementary school. Because real ones don’t gamble with their lives—they trust the information from all sources. Pun intended.
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